Sheet-metal display can or box.



PATBNTED JULY 5, 1904;.

B. H. LARKIN'. SHEET METAL DISPLAY GAN 0R BOX.

APPLIGATION FILED JAN. 14, 1904.

N0 MODEL.

UNITED STATES Patented July 5, 1904.

PATENT OEEIcE.

BERNARD I-I. LARKIN, OF AUSTIN, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CANCOMPANY, OF JERSEY CITY, NEW JERSEY, A CORPORATION OF NElV JERSEY.

SHEET-METAL DISPLAY CAN OR BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N 0. 764,296, dated July 5,1904:. Application filed January 14, 1904. Serial No. 188,972. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, BERNARD H. LARKIN, a citizen of the United States,residing in Austin, in the county of Cook and State of lllinois,

* have invented a new and useful Improvement in Sheet-Metal .DisplayCansor Boxes,of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to improvements in display cans or boxes of sheetmetal designed to contain crackers, bakery goods, and other likearticles.

The object of my invention is to provide a sheet-metal display can orbox suitable for containing crackers, bakery articles, andother i 5goods and having at its front a sign-opening and a display-opening,theone closed by a removablesign-plate and the othorbyaremovable glass ortransparent plate, which will be of a neat, strong, simple, eflicient,and dura- 2o ble construction and capable of being cheaply manufactured.

My invention consists in the means 1 cmploy to practically accomplishthis object or result that is to say, it consists in a sheet- 2 5 metaldisplay can or box having its front provided with two openings, oneclosed by a removable sign-plate and the other by a removable glass ordisplay plate, the sheet-metal front of the box or can being furnishedwith fixed guides for holding the sign-plate in place and with adiagonally-sliding eam-aeting or looking catch for holding the glassplate in place.

It further consists in the novel construe- 3 5 tion of parts and devicesand in thenovel combinations of parts and devices herein shown anddescribed, and more particularlypointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, forming a 4 part of this specification,Figure 1 is a perspective view of a sheet-metal display box or canembodying myinvention. Fig. 2 is an enlarged central vertical section online 2 2 of Fig. 1. Fig. Sisavertical section on line33 of Fig. 2. Fig.4: is a horizontal section on line 4 i of Fig. 2, and Fig. 5 is a detailelevation of the movable diagonally-sliding cam-acting or looking catch.

In the drawings, A A A represent the three vertical sides, which, inconnection with the front B, form the body of the can or box. C is itsbottom, and D thehingod cover. Each of the three sheet-metal side platesA, which are preferably of tin-plate. and the sheetmetal front B, whichis preferably of brass, 5 5 are secured at their lower edges to thebottom C by an external folded seam or lockseam 0, formed by interfoldedi'langcsa cand b c at the meeting edges of the sides A and front B withthe bottom C. These external interfolded or look seams not only serve tounite the body of the can or box to its bot tom, but also tomateriallystrengthen the can or box as a whole, which is ordinarily ofconsiderable size, one customary size, for example,being about twelveinches high by about ten inches square in horizontal section. At theupright corners of the body the sheetmetal side plates A A and front Bare united together by internal folded seams or lockseams a, formed byinterfolded flanges a a? and a 7) on the upright meeting edges of theside plates A and front B, thus not only uniting the side plates andfront of the body of the can or box, but also materially stiffening andstrengthening the can or box.

To strengthen and stiifen the upper end of the body of the can or boxand form a flat seat for the hinged cover to lit and shutdown upon, thevertical sides A of the body are pro vided with horizontal orright-angle l langes (L preferably about one-half inch in width, andwith angle-flanges 0;, preferably about threefourths of an inch inwidth, the lower edges of which meet the vertical sides A of the can 5orbox, thus forming hollow triangular stiffening bars or braces A at theupper end of the body of the can or box at three sides thereof,

and at its remaining or front side a similar hollow strengthening andstiffening bar or 9 brace A composed of sheet metal and having acorresponding right-angle or horizontal flange a and angle-flange a", isprovided. At the corners of the body the meeting horizontal flanges aand meeting angle-flanges a" of the hollow strengthening bars or bracesA A F of the upper guides F F.

overlap each other and are securely soldered together, thus forming acontinuous hollow strengthening bar or brace all round the upper end ofthe body, thus giving the body a very strong, stiff, and rigidconstruction.

The front B of the body, which is preferably of sheet-brass to give aneater and more ornamental appearance to the display can or box, isprovided with two openings B and B one above the other. each surroundedby an inturned angle-flange L The lower or display opening B is closedby a removable glass or transparent plate E, and the upper or signopening B is closed by a removable sign-plate F. The upper or sign plateF is inserted through a slot or passage-way f between the front hollowbrace or bar A and the sheetmetal front B of the box-body, which is provided at its upper edge with an inturned fold b. This plate F is held inposition by fixed sheet-metal guides F F, one for each end of thesign-plate and both preferably formed on the sheet-metal guide plate Fand each comprising or having an upright right-angle flange f, solderedor otherwise secured to the front B, and also a horizontal right-angleflange f 2 to form the bottom of the pocket which re ceives theremovable sign-plate F.

The removable glass or display plate E rests at its lower edge on thebottom of the box and is held in position at its lower edge by a fixedsheet-metal guide E, having an upturned lip or flange E to engage thelower edge of the glass plate E. This fixed guide E for the lower platehas its edge e interfolded with the flanges b 0 of the box bottom andfront and is thus secured in place very firmly and securely. The glassplate E is held in place at its upper edge by a removable camslide G,having angle-slots g engaging guide projections g on the sheet-metalguide-plate The guide projections 9 preferably consist of integral lipsturned in opposite directions to embrace the opposite edges 9 g of theangle-slots gin the diagonally-sliding catch G. The sliding catch (Jrhas a slight offset, shoulder, or cam-like portion at the extreme upperend of the lower edge of the angle-slots g 9, so that when the slidingcatch Gr is in its lowermost position the two lower guide projections orlips g will serve to lock the sliding catch in its lower most positionand prevent its upward movement, except when it is pushed with someforce horizontally or in the direction of the length of the angle-slotsg g. The sliding catch G is preferably made ofsheet metal and isfurnished with a beveled lip g at its extreme lower edge to facilitateits insertion over the upper edge of the glass plate E. The slidingcatch G is further provided with a right-angle fold g which forms ashoulder for the upper edge of the glass plate E to abut againstwhen-the sliding catch is in its lowermost position. The cam-actingsliding. catch G is further provided with an integral roll g at itsupper edge, forming a handle to operate the same by. The hinged cover Dhas right-angle flanges (Z (Z (Z611, preferably about an inch in depth,which fit over and inclose the upper end of the box-body, the flanges dd (Z being preferably integral with the cover D and the front flange (Zbeing preferably in a separate piece and of brass to correspond to thebrass front B. The lower edges of these cover flanges have curves orcoils 6Z2, embracing a wire D, which completely surrounds the cover andforms also the pivot of its hinge. The cover is hinged to the body ofthe can or box byhinged straps D which embrace the wire D and aresoldered to the rear side of the box. In operation to insert or removethe sign-plate F the hinged cover is first opened and then the signplate may be vertically slipped out through the slot or passage-wayfleft between the hollow brace or bar A and the sheetmetal front B of thebox. To remove the glass or display plate E, the diagonally-slidingcatch G is first pushed to its uppermost position, thus releasing theupper edge of the glass plate, when it may be readily removed by tiltingit slightly forward.

I claim 1. A display can or box having a sheet-metal front furnishedwith two openings therein, one above the other, removable plates forclosing said openings, a fixed guide for holding the upper removableplate in place, and asliding catch mounted on said fixed guide andreciprocating in a plane parallel to said lower removable plate, andengaging the upper horizontal edge of the lower removable plate forholding it in place and permitting, when said catch is retracted, saidlower re movable plate to tilt inward at its upper part and be removedwithout first removing the upper plate, substantially as specified.

2. A display can or box having a sheet-metal front furnished with twoopenings therein, one above the other, removable plates for closing saidopenings, a fixed guide for holding the upper removable plate in place,and a diagonally-sliding and cam acting catch mounted on said fixedguide and engaging the upper edge of the lower removable plate forholding it in place and permitting, when said catch is retracted, saidlower removable plate to tilt inward at its upper part and be removedwithout first removing the upper plate, substantially as specified.

3. A display can or box having a sheet-metal front furnished with twoopenings therein, one above the other, upper and lower removable platesfor closing said openings, a fixed guideplate secured to said front forholding the upper removable plate in place, and a sliding cam-actingcatch mounted on said fixed guideplate and engaging the upper edge ofsaid lower removable plate to hold it in place and permit the plate totilt inward when said catch is retracted, said sliding catch havingdiagonal or inclined guide-slots furnished with a cam-acting or lockingportion, substantially as specified.

4. A display can or box having a sheet-metal front furnished with twoopenings therein, two removable plates for closing said openings, afixed guide-plate for one of said removable plates, and a slidingcam-acting catch mounted to reciprocate in a diagonal or inclineddirection on said fixed guide-plate, substantially as specified.

5. A display can or box having a sheet-metal front furnished with twoopenings therein, two removable plates for closing said openings, afixed guide-plate for one of said removable plates, and a sliding catchmounted to reciprocate in a diagonal or inclined direction on said fixedguide-plate, said sliding catch having inclined guide-slots engagingguide projections on said fixed guide-plate, substantially as specified.

6. A display can or box having a sheet-metal frontfurnished with twoopenings therein, two

removable plates for closing said openings, a fixed guide-plate for oneof said removable plates, and a sliding catch mounted to reciprocate ina diagonal or inclined direction on said fixed guide-plate, said slidingcatch having inclined guide-slots engaging guide projections on saidfixed guide-plate, the guide projections on said fixed guide-plateconsisting in oppositely-turned integral lips embracnally on said fixedguide-plate, and in a plane parallel to said lower removable plate andengaging the upper horizontal edge of said lower removable plate to holdit in place and permit it to tilt inward when the catch is retracted,substantially as specified.

8. A display can or box having a sheet-metal tron t furnished with twoopenings therein, two removable plates for closing said openings, afixed guide-plate for one of said removable plates, and a sliding catchmounted to reciprocate in a diagonal or inclined direction on said fixedguide-plate, and having inclined guide-slots furnished with a shoulderor camlike portion and guide projections on the fixed guide-plateengaging the inclined guide-slots on said sliding catch, substantiallyas specified.

BERNARD H. LARKIN.

Witnesses:

H. M. MUNDAY, P. ABRAMS.

